A Clash of Gold
by the priestess carly-chan
Summary: When Ren finds out that he too has an 'other half' and goes to meet up with this person, how will the two of them react when they find that they are exactly the same yet completely opposite, including gender-wise.
1. Chapter 1: Golden Eyes Pierce Through Me

**Carly-chan**: Hello everyone! I'm hoping to see some familiar faces here for this story, you know…some people who read my last story and want to read this one too… I did promise that this one will be less depressing and I will try my best to keep to my word on that. I promise nobody will "die" in this one…Okay? Umm…I tried to experiment with a few different styles with this story so I hope that works out. Oh! And…uh…SGCred This chapter is dedicated to you…because if you hadn't reminded me this would never ever have gotten done and that would have made me sad because I've wanted to write this for a while, I know your busy but I hope that you will get the chance to read this… thanks! Well…Onto it then!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Shaman King, and I probably wont own anything else I talk about in this story in the future, I only own my character Lea.

A Clash of Gold

Ren stared down into golden eyes as they peered back up at him, no doubt thankful yet wondering who this person might be. These two sets of eyes were so similar to each other. These were a pair of eyes much like Ren's except softer perhaps. How had the two of them gotten into this situation?

Lea POV

I stand in front of the full body mirror on the far wall of my room as I stare into it, harsh golden eyes stare back at me, eyes that seem to pierce through my very soul. It seems that this girl in the mirror isn't really me, this beautiful girl with her silky purple hair that drops down to her hips in large curls, that look of frailty about her but something that says she could fight well enough if needed and those eyes, those piercing eyes. Those eyes are not mine, they couldn't be my soft happy eyes. In a sense nothing here is mine, this home this family, for some reason I doubt this body truly belongs to me, nothing is mine here except for this mind of mine. I know that these kindly parents of mine aren't my real parents and that this isn't where I truly belong yet, still I smile. My smiles aren't fake, it's just that I can't help but to smile no matter what, no matter what this smile remains plastered on my face.

My darling parents still have no idea that I know their little secret of how I'm not really theirs. I often think of running away to find a place more like where I really belong. However something deep down inside of me always warns against that, that no good would come of it, it's as if whatever it is down deep within knows this from experience. Despite all of these thoughts of not belonging and running away I still somehow manage to stay happy and innocent in this world. Even when some sort of pain or sadness or perhaps the feeling of longing that seldom ever comes threatens to awaken within I still somehow remain innocent in this hectic, crazy world, it's as if no matter how hard I try I can't be anything but innocent and happy, I have come to terms with the fact that this is out of my control and I cannot do anything to stop the happiness from overflowing in my heart although my soul cries out for answers, the truth as to where I truly belong.

I seem to have become entranced by the seemingly foreign eyes in the mirror. As I stood, there was only silence around me, nothing to break my gaze away from those eyes, there usually weren't many sounds out here where I lived, I live out 'in the middle of nowhere'. There is a town nearby but it is very, very small, only about fifteen people live there, I live on the outskirts of that tiny town near a forest, that was my wish and my parents granted it for me. My parents give me everything I want, they don't seem to get much for themselves though. I sometimes wonder where they get the money for all of the things they get me, they don't have very well paying jobs, they never have.

They told me once that we used to live in the city when I was younger and that as soon as I was old enough to have clear enough thoughts about the world I started to beg to move away from the city to be closer to nature, so they had a house built out here as soon as they could afford to. That's what they tell me at least, I can't remember anything before I was eight years old, I was already living out here in this house by then so I wouldn't really know. Despite my suspicions I can't help but to smile, despite my suspicions I can't help but to love them, to let the love flow through me and outward extended as my very being.

The rustling of the nearby tree frees me from my trance like state. Is it the wind, no, there is no wind out here tonight, the skies are calm and peaceful as the stars shine brightly through the few clouds in the unpolluted country sky. I cautiously approach my window and then quietly slide it open as to not wake my parent or scare away whatever is out there. Hesitantly I thrust my head out the window, just slightly enough for me to glance around. I see no one there but still I sense a presence… there! Someone is hiding among the tree's branches, I can't see their face through the darkness, it looks shadowed to me. All In can make out of them is their figure, they seem to be…. a male. "Hisamu Lea…" His voice seems to float to me on the newly come fresh breeze of autumn air.

"Y-Yes that's me." I stutter out, who could this person be and what do they want from me…also why does he know my full name… that's something not many people know about me.

"Have you ever wondered if you weren't Hisamu Lea?" He asks me, the question seems so random. Not Hisamu Lea, have I not always been Hisamu Lea?

"If I were not Hisamu Lea…who then would I be?" I question him, I try to dig deep to find his true intention but he hides it very well.

"Then you would be yourself, your true self… Tao Lea." Tao Lea? I have no time for many other thoughts, some other thoughts intrude, they come pounding into my head, these thoughts don't seem as thoughts at all but as if they were… memories.

I see a young girl, very young… perhaps she is six or seven years old with curly purple hair, sitting upon a log overlooking a glistening lake. Could that be me ,could that girl who seems to resemble me so much really be me? A boy with hair the color of the lake's banks sits beside her. He begins to speak "Have you ever been thought about shamans…or the Taos, Lea?" The girl shakes her head as she picks up a rock and tries to skip it on the lakes surface.

So that girl was me after all. Wait a minute… the boy mentioned the Taos… The Taos…and …shaman who am I? Am I Tao Lea like this man outside my window is telling me? I remember that he's still there and tilt my head back up towards him. "I see now what you means…sir…" I voice to him, why does my voice not catch the autumn breeze and flow to him on it? "But sir what do you wish me to do about this now?"

"You have a twin Lea, an 'other half' of your soul… Your twin needs you now, this is unknown to them at this moment however. Here…" He throws to me an envelope, it sails into my hand and I stare at it with questioning curious eyes. "There is an address of a café written on a paper inside of the envelope where you can go to meet your twin, this person shouldn't be too hard to spot as they have very peculiar hair that resembles the fin of a shark. You may also sense your connection or just plainly notice the resemblance between the two of you." With that bit of a hint and the address that lay inside of the unopened envelope he leaves me with nothing more, not even a single last word.

I clutch the envelope for a moment and stare at it debating in my mind whether or not too open it. I fear for where it may tell me I shall have to go to meet this twin of mine and I fear even more finding out who my twin is, what if she is hateful and we can't get along then my trip to this place that I know nothing of yet will be in vain. As I become ever more curious to find out where this place will be I start to tear at the seal of the envelope. I finally have it open and am now unfolding a piece of paper about to see where I will have to head off to very soon. Tokyo. Tokyo? I wish it hadn't been Tokyo, that over cluttered busy place is everything I dislike in city life, isn't that what I moved here for, to get away from that life?

Tokyo, why does it have to be Tokyo. I would have gone nearly anywhere but Tokyo, that means I will have to travel from China to Japan, if my sister was raised in Japan will she even understand me when I speak? Either way I wish not to go but I can't avoid it…I can't let my sister down. If it is my fate to go then I shall go, I shall go to find out who I really am. I strongly protest going but I know that I must. I'm growing weary now, I'm quite tired and It's getting late. I shall inform my parents of my visitor and what he said and then I shall prepare to depart from this home of mine that I love, I'll leave in three days. This paper has a phone number on it so I will just call from my cell phone when I arrive there in Tokyo I guess.

3rd Person POV-Ren…

At the same time that Lea got her visit Tao Ren received a visit from a mysterious person as well. However… lets just say that Ren's visit didn't go so well as Lea's did. Ren ended up being overly offensive as he usually was and didn't get much information out of the messenger woman. The frail woman ended up cowering back in fear of Ren's violent nature. She muttered quickly the words 'go here to meet your twin…to meet your other half' before throwing his envelope roughly through the window and onto the floor.

Ren picked it up, eying it suspiciously at first, then tore it open roughly, eager to know. His eyes roamed over the paper quickly. On his letter at the top there was the address to the café where they should meet, there were also directions telling him to remain at the Onsen until his twin arrives. There was also a phone number listed there, a cell phone number that his twin would call from when they arrived. Ren merely tossed the letter aside, he'd deal with it when the time came. He was quite tired now and headed off to bed.

**Carly-chan**: Ok…well.. um…the first little paragraph thing (after I got done talking, yeah like the actual story… yeah…) was sort of like an introduction. You could call it 'me just having fun with different styles' because I've always wanted to write a story where I start in the middle and then go back to the beginning and build up to the middle point and then just head forward from there, I hope that won't confuse anyone. Oh and for anyone who didn't realize it…yes I did purposely call Ren 'she' multiple times in Lea's part… that was mostly to make clear that Lea has no idea that her 'twin sister' is really her 'twin brother'. I don't think I did that much in Ren's part because well…I kind of wanted to depict that Ren didn't really care so much. Ok I just wanted to clear that up just in case. As always please tell me if any characters in my story are OOC and please tell me how I could fix that.


	2. Chapter 2: The Time of Departure

**Carly-chan: **Hello my darling readers… it's most likely been a while since my last post and I've missed you. I'm currently seeing if I can take on the challenge of writing the chapters for this story in one week. If I can do that then you will most likely get an update every month. You see I get a week off between the day of my deadline for my vampire story and when they want me to start working on the next chapter again so I figured I would just give this plan a try since I find it very enjoyable to write these. Please enjoy this next chapter…that of which I have practically no clue what will happen in yet…lol.

Yay! Replies to reviews! …. I love this part (as some of you know).

**SGCred**- Yes! I finally posted it! …I get so happy when I post this story… you know how long I've been waiting to do this story…I just love it! …. Yeah…I love writing weird intros like that…I did that with my vampire story too…but it's a little weird because instead of the intro building up to the middle or end like it should it builds up to the part after the end of the actual story where I really should have ended it but…won't. Lol hmm…. Later on I plan to make this story quite more fun but…as you probably can guess I'm much better at writing serious stories. I'll try to make some fun stuff happen… I mean…there's got to be some kind of fun situations I can put a sweet innocent naïve girl like Lea into that will be fun for the reader…and me…lol

**devilicious-jo- **lol yeah…she'll probably need all the luck she can get for a while… hmm…I just hope that Ren is still in character when I …hmm…lets see…how to word it…uh. …well… give him more of a part to play... more stuff to do and more lines. Um… yeah Ren does pretty much think that Lea is a guy like Lea thinks that he's a girl… but he really isn't paying the whole matter much attention yet.

**Disclaimer: **….I still don't own Shaman King… I wish I did like most everyone else here probably does… yet, I don't.

Chapter 2: The Time of Departure

Lea POV

Last night I intended on speaking to my parents about what happened. However, I walked silently to their room and carefully creaked open the door but when I saw their sleeping faces, so pleasant like angels, I couldn't wake them up. So, now I sit here at this table, slowly eating my breakfast with them there across from me. Every few minutes I glance quickly up at them, trying to work out in my mind how to tell them and when the precise time would be. Slowly, yet surely I grow doubtful, at this rate it will never be told, I should tell them this instant, just get it out there in the open. "Mother, Father… I had a visitor last night." I say plainly yet sweetly.

My father stirs from his reading of the morning paper, folds it up hastily and sets it upon the table as my mother sets down the knife and the piece of toast she was buttering. It's as if they expect something horrible to be told to them, who knows, maybe they do.

"What did he say dear?" My mother asks me, I can't really see it but I sense nervousness in her voice.

"He told me that I might not be me…" I say slowly.

"What did he mean by that Lea?" My father asks, he seems to carry suspicion.

"He said that I was a Tao and that I had to leave, to go and find out more, and that someone needed my help. I want to go…" I left out the part about my twin sister; I thought that would get them worked up even more. Hearing the word Tao spill from my mouth seemed to have rattled them, even more as it was accompanied by the words 'I am'.

My mother and father look at each other, they seem to converse with their eyes but they haven't come up with a definite answer just yet. "Your mother and I will…" My father glances to my mother and is greeted by a gentle but stern look. "We will arrange for it, you know that we'd give you anything if it was what you truly wanted and would make you happy."

I'm simply overjoyed; I stand up and run the small distance to them, giving each a hug. "Oh thank you guys so much! Thank you! Would it be too much to ask for you to arrange for me to leave three days from today?"

"Not at all dear, we will work it out." Says my mother and I almost jump up and down with all of the joy I'm keeping inside of me. It really is a shame that I don't have someone to run off and tell right away, but I don't mind it, I've always been happy with the way things are. I kiss my parents and run up to my room to pack my things.

As I sit now in my room looking over all of my things I sing a ballad that I had read in a book " In Heaven a spirit doth dwell  
"Whose heart-strings are a lute";  
None sing so wildly well  
As the angel Israfel,  
And the giddy stars (so legends tell),  
Ceasing their hymns, attend the spell  
Of his voice, all mute." As I finish the first stanza I place a picture of my mother and father into my bag along with some nice dresses and some fairly casual clothes too. Soon, I grow tired and retire to my bed "I will finish packing in the morning, then it will be the first day before I depart." I mumble to myself as I change into my silken nightgown and sit down on my bed. A thought jolts through me and I hop up from my bed, there is someone I can run to tell after all, at least I can try to tell him. I run to my window and throw it open, lowering myself to my knees to be level with it, "You whose words floated to me on the wind, who started all of this and may secretly await my answer, I'm going! I'm going to see my sister in Tokyo!" I yell out towards the sunset and the trees. I can't sleep yet… so I sit here and watch as the beautiful colors melt below the horizon. Now I retire back to my bed, but I know that I won't sleep well tonight… but it's all right.

I woke up early on the first morning, and even earlier on the second. It seemed as if there was nothing left to do that could hold my attention for enough time after I finished my packing, I was anxious, I wanted to meet my sister so badly. I spent much of those days daydreaming about different scenarios of our meeting and trying to visualize what she looked like, that man said that she had hair like the fin of a shark. I wonder how that looks like… I can't stop thinking about her, she can teach me all about me… the real me, as I learn about her.

Slowly those two days pas and then finally it's the morning of the third day, I wake up oh so early and put on a nice white dress and some makeup and eat my breakfast. I disliked it but we take the family car to the airport, the car that we use only in times when we need it because I strongly dislike cars because they pollute the beautiful air, but this is a special occasion and we had to travel far… so we had to take the car. Through the whole ride I sit silently staring out my window watching the country landscape change into towns and eventually a big city, I amuse myself in that way and it seems like no time, yet forever and then we are there. I say goodbye to my mother and father and my mother started to cry and tell me how much she will miss me. I tell her not to worry but deep down I am wondering why they don't expect to see me again, that's the way it seems to me at least. So now I board the plane, this is the first time I've ever been on a plane, the first time I can remember at least, but I'm not scared, I'm going to see my beautiful darling sister after all. The land below looks so distant and tiny from up here in the sky, being up here among the clouds makes me feel quite at peace and I can relax as the plane flies smoothly through the sky to where the person I seek is… this plane will take me to my sister and I can learn the truth… finally the truth will be known to me.

**Carly-chan**: Hey you guys! Remember that one week thingy I was trying to do? ...Well today is the last day of the week and I just finished my chapter… I apologize for it being so short and not having Ren in it (he should be in…at least the beginning of the next chapter if not more) … I'll try so much harder next time guys I promise! Well now…I've noticed that none of the fan fictions I read have updated in a while… but I'm and fan fiction author now myself so I can update and then maybe the rest will just fall into place after my update…I hope…I get so lonely without my fan fictions to read…. Um…that poem I used was Israfel by Edgar Allan Poe …it's a personal favorite of mine… so I thought I'd share a bit with you guys. If you want me to try and work the whole thing into the next chapter so you can read it or I could email it to you please just tell me. Also umm…this may be too early but what pairings do you guys thing I should put in here? And as always please tell me about OOC-ness! …Ummmm…I think that is all I wanted to say…thank you for reading this chapter…I love you all so much.


	3. Chapter 3: Arrival and Twilight

**Carly-chan**: Well, here I am again at the end (er well…this time it's kind of the middle) of the month, ready to write my fanfic! Today was the day of my deadline and I just finished it (which is good because it was due at 5:00 and it is now 4:50) so now I'm rather ready to start writing my fanfic chapter for this month and hope again that I can write it well enough and quick enough to post it on my week break! Aww… I miss you guys so much during the long month, I don't like not writing my fan fiction until the end of the month but I guess it's the only way I'll be able to write them at all. At the end of this chapter I will explain to you guys how I won't be here for a while after next month and stuff… yeah you'll see when you get there. Oh and as I promised Ren will be starting off this chapter instead of Lea like usual…as soon as I get past all the other stuff that goes up here that is. smiles

**devilicious-jo- **Thank you for complimenting, saying it's great and all… I really like this story…I just wish I could spend more time on it. Yup! She still thinks that he's a girl… she wont know that he's not until after she meets him. …which might be in this chapter… I hope!

**Andrea Nefisto- **Hello! …You are a new reader aren't you? …Welcome! Umm… sorry… I got a little excited there. Yup….poor Lea…she's being led on by her poor innocent mind into thinking she'll get a sweet sister but instead she'll get a rambunctious brother….I wonder if rambunctious is the proper word to use there. I wonder if she will be disappointed (doesn't know yet….lol)**  
**

**SGCred**- Yup… Lea will soon find the truth ….'beautiful darling…brother?' …what…I thin he's rather pretty…maybe not darling but still rather pretty…or maybe that's just me. Oh! I forgot to send you that poem last time! I'll put it at the bottom of the email when I reply to you (which I hope will be soon and that I will reply before I finish writing this…if that's the case why am I even talking about it? Lol) Yay potential! Yeah…I already started planning that scene…unfortunately I have a horrible memory and like a computer that crashed I lost half the file so it won't be as good as the first time I worked it out…unless I can miraculously remember what else was going to happen. (…great I just compared my mind to a computer…note to self: …stop going on the computer so much!) Ha! I remember that episode! …I never got that joke because my subtitles sucked (someone explained it to me about a month later though) but it was still funny just to watch… I never get Chocolove's jokes…well sometimes I do when my subtitles are nice enough to explain them. Yeah…poor innocent Lea…oh and thanks for reminding me about Ren always saying Kisama…I almost forgot and it really is a key part of the story I would suppose! Alright I'll try to put in some Jun/Pailong …I'm not so great at writing about pairings but I will try!

**Disclaimer: **Ok…so I don't own Shaman King….but I do own Lea huggles her and I love her so if anybody tries to steal her… I'll beat them up gets glared at by my character Catsuu ..Eep! Uhh…I still love you Catsuu! …huggles both Lea is like your younger sister…I made her in your image so you have to help me protect her… hmm…if Catsuu is like Lea's older sister that would make her Ren's sister too…and then Catsuu has a brother and a husband and daughter too…wow….family is getting way too big!

Chapter 3: Arrival and Twilight's Meeting

3rd Person POV-Ren…

Ren awoke a bit later than usual on that morning after his visitor came with he message. When he awoke he saw a sight that he'd rather not have seen just then, although he didn't show it he was rather disgruntled about the previous night. What he saw was the Ainu called HoroHoro sitting in his room reading his letter. "What are you doing here kisama! Do you really think that you are what I want to see when I first get up in the morning?" He yelled even more harshly than usual, he was very, very disgruntled.

"Ah! Ren you're awake!" The Ainu piped, a bit surprised. "I was just--"

"Shut up! Put my letter down and get out! I'll deal with you later!" Ren cut him off.

"Alright Ren." HoroHoro decided not to challenge him, seeing how bad a mood his friend really was in. He slinked out into the kitchen, he hadn't eaten breakfast just yet and he was rather hungry. Ren snatched up the letter from where the ice shaman had left it, he glared down at the letter. "Stupid letter!" He shouted, cursing it under his breath before throwing it harshly aside nearly shredding it, that letter was the cause of quite a few problems for him. "My other half, my twin! What is that crap? People don't just appear out of nowhere like that!" He mumbled to himself as he got dressed and went out to eat the breakfast that had been prepared by the short young boy, Manta, and the shy young girl, Tamao. He sat down frustrated at the table, not speaking to anyone, and they left him alone too. That was just the first day but by the end of the second day he was able to work out most of his frustrations about the matter and come to terms with it. The third day went by as it normally would have at the Funbari Onsen, Ren and Horo fought again and they all slaved under Anna's dictator-like power.

Lea POV

The plane ride goes by quickly as I daydream about my sister and this Tokyo that I have become rather anxious and please to be going to. I may even learn about the world while I'm in such a big city as Tokyo. I'm not very confused actually, for the most part I understand what everyone is saying, Mother and Father got me cassette tapes and books to help me learn Japanese, I studied for every waking hour, which was a long while since I haven't slept much, for those three days. I even study some on the plane ride, I'm learning quickly and there's only a few words I don't quite understand, and I can even write in Japanese almost fluently.

The plane is landing now, I understand where they are telling me to go but once I get outside of the airport I'm on my own I suppose. Mother and Father gave me money to stay in a hotel for a few days before I go meet sister, and money for food and to survive on. I hope that nobody notices how much money I have, I have heard that big cities like this can be pretty rough places, I pray for safety. I was told to go to a certain hotel, the Tokyo Regency Hotel, I have it written down on a small card with the address but I don't know how to get there.

I'm wandering the streets now, I have been for the past few hours, hoping that I can find the place before the sun sets, that would be fairly soon and it's getting cold out. I want to ask someone for directions but I'm afraid, these people all look a bit scary to me, they are so different from anything I've seen before, I can't remember the city so I don't know what city people are like and I never really talked to many people anyway. I'm usually pretty good at seeing how people really are, reading them through their eyes, but right now I'm far to scared. I'm usually not this judgmental either, I hate being like this, I also hate the word hate, now I'm getting flustered, my pace is quickening, I'm about to turn a corner, I hope it takes me in the right direction.

I feel pain, I was knocked back by something when I turned the corner, I moan softly to myself from the pain before looking up to see what made me fall over. There was a boy, quiet and proper, he kept to himself a lot it seemed, rather serious and there were many years of a dragged out sadness harbored deep within his heart, I saw this in his eyes and by the way he moved, his frail body showed me all the truths about him. "I… I'm sorry sir." I say sadly, I feel so bad, tears are swelling up in my eyes.

"Oh…it's alright." The boy says bringing himself to his feet and extending his hands to help me up.

As I take his hands and he pulls my fragile petite body up I notice the bag he was carrying, he seemed to have just gone shopping, one of the things he bought was eggs, I could tell because they were leaking out quite a bit. "Oh… your eggs… I'm so very sorry…I… I really didn't mean to do any harm, please take this." He looks down at his eggs, just noticing that they were broken and almost leaking on his clean clothes, as I dig into the small purse I was carrying. I give him money to buy more eggs to replace the ones that I broke and more for his kindness.

"Thank you…" He says, he doesn't seem to expect to get any money for what I did, I find that a bit strange, I had always believed that we must compensate for the wrongs we have done, it seems silly the idea of not repaying him.

"Oh! Kind sir would you be able to tell me how to get to this address?" I hand him the card with the information of the hotel on it, and I listen intently as he explains to me where to go, storing it all carefully away into my memory.

"….And that's how you get there." He finishes explaining, I take my card back from his outstretched hand.

"Thank you very much kind stranger!" I say as I begin to walk a few steps away, then I turn back to him and yell as I wave energetically, "If we ever meet again I'll give you something to really repay your kindness, something more precious than a bit of extra money!"

I get to my hotel safe and sound thanks to that kind young boy, I think he was about my age, he was so kind, I really admire him… I didn't think that in a big thriving city like this there were young boys so proper. As I look around the hotel I see that it is beautiful and large, I pay for a five night stay, on the second day I think that I will go meet sister, tomorrow I will call her and tell her so.

**Carly-chan**: Ok guys…so I promised to explain my summer hiatus, which if you don't know means ..pretty much break, that may actually last all summer. Ok so we bought a house and after the 10th of June we get the keys and get to start working on it, so my hiatus starts on the 13th because that is the day after my deadline, which means that I most likely won't be able to work on my fanfic that month, but I suppose I will try, and I'm just plain busy for a lot of the month of June though. Then once we move in (I think that is on the 26th) I won't have an internet connection for a while… although I may be able to type my chapters and upload them at the library it isn't the most likely thing, I will miss you guys a whole lot though! Ok so back to the story... Umm…most importantly this time, because I started actually introducing characters, please, please, please tell me if anybody is OOC! Especially Horo because I just have a feeling I didn't do him right…yeah. Also can anybody guess who the person was that Lea met on the street that helped her out? …I tried not to make it too deathly obvious but I'm not very good at hiding things like that…so go ahead and take your guesses! Hmm…let's see…what else do I want to talk about…oh yeah! The Tokyo Regency Hotel, is pretty much a spin-off of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, which is where I stayed for Ohayocon and I liked it a lot! Oh and also please tell me if you notice places where my tense is off…I'm more used to writing in past tense and I keep accidentally slipping back to it. Oh and SGCred…erm…I haven't replied to your email yet but I will very soon…right away after this I will start on my reply!


	4. Chapter 4: A Phone Call of Hidden Info

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Carly-chan: (this note is like…old…and the stuff in here is probably old and doesn't matter anymore…I'm just too lazy to change it…please read anyway just incase though) Hello you guys! Currently my computer is up and running but I don't get internet for a few more days. After finishing my latest chapter of Moonlight Blossom (my vampire story that I slave over all the time) extremely late it's hard to try and find a word good enough to explain how very, very happy I am to be back! Oh by the way… if any of you would like to read Moonlight Blossom, it's very interesting and kind of crazy sometimes, just tell me in your review and I'll email it to you as soon as I can! smiles Yes I do desperately want more readers and I did just shamelessly whore my Moonlight Blossom. Ok, I love you guys so much and I can't wait to start writing and posting my stories on the site again. Out of boredom and small creativity a few nights ago I started writing a new fic and I finished it just last night. It's a one shot about Hao-sama and a human and it's pretty depressing for those of you who liked that about my stories smile Ok then I'll try to start on with the other parts of this then smiles…so happy.

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SGCred: Yay! Thank you for complimenting my description, I really appreciate it! Lol well I supposed that's good that it's not just me….I'll try not to let Ren hear my weird ideas about him… hmmm…. I wonder if he gets mad when I draw him in my clothes… lol. Yeah I hate that! I used to be prepared for situations like that, I'd carry around a little notebook with me, but it just didn't work out… It'd always feel weird to pull out the notebook in the middle of class and write it down, plus I was paranoid about people around me looking at it. Yeah…Choco is so weird, and his jokes aren't really funny he's just so weird that it's fun to laugh at his attempts to be funny. You'll see you'll see… it may not be a major point but I worked out a scene in my head around Ren's cursing and Lea's reaction to it. Yeah… she probably will regret learning those words, ha Jerry Springer! Lol…that is such a strange show lol. Awesome! Weird Chinese words or phrases that Jun or Ren might say would be great!

devilicious-jo: Everybody seems to think that it was Yoh… umm…that wasn't really who I was going for…maybe I will say who it was in this chapter.

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Hahahhaitsme: Umm…. Hello. smiles thanks for reviewing my other fic, I'm glad you liked it! I think you might like my newest story Humanity's Unrequited Love because it's kind of depressing… it's not as well written as my other stories are though. You also guessed Yoh, well hopefully soon we'll see who it was.

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Disclaimer: Shaman King isn't mine….I still wish but…no… Lea is though… and if anyone tries to take her….ummm… I'll bite you…rarw! Lol…..right!

Chapter 4: A phone call of hidden information

Lea POV

For much of the night I do not sleep, I can't get my mind off of that boy. There was something peculiar about him, special… good. I told him that someday if I saw him again I would repay him with something special. Something precious, but I have nothing that is precious that I can give him in exchange for his kindness. I have nothing so great… I'll have to find something though. It seems to be fine that I'm losing sleep, I don't have anywhere to be immediately tomorrow so I think that when I finally do fall asleep I will just sleep until I naturally wake up.

Finally I get to sleep at around two in the morning. My peaceful sleep is short but well as I wake up just six hours later at eight in the morning. As I wake I crawl slowly out of bed, then stretch and glance around the hotel room. It's elegant décor amazes me just as much as it had the night before. I order a room service breakfast for a little later and slip into the shower as I wait for it to come. Just as soon as I turn the water off the doorbell rings. "Just a minute!" I call out as I frantically look for something to cover myself with. I spot a robe and loosely slip it on, tying the belt around me in a halfhearted knot. I open the door, my hair dripping and my face red of embarrassment at how I must look right now, I smile and say good morning to the man standing before me.

"Here is your food Miss." He says kindly as he hands the tray of food to me.

"Oh thank you sir!" I say sweetly. "Please hold on just one moment!" I set the tray on the table and run over by the bed rummaging through my purse. "Here it is!" I exclaim as I pull out some money from my purse and bring it over to him. "It's a tip sir." I smile.

"Thank you very much." he says as he takes it from me. "Have a good day miss."

Then he was gone. I sat down at the table and began to eat my breakfast. As I eat quietly and alone a small wave of sadness sweeps over me. I can't explain it much but I usually don't eat alone and now that I am it makes me sad. I usually eat at least breakfast with my parents, I miss them a bit but soon I will have my sister, I wonder if she will eat with me once we are together. Once I finish eating I get dressed into a cute white dress and then finish getting ready for my day. Realizing that I don't have much to do today I sit down on the bed next to my purse and pull the envelope from it. I examine the piece of paper again and see that there is a name on it; Tao Ren. That must be my sister's name, what a beautiful name, Tao Ren. "Tao Lea and Tao Ren." I pronounce our names to see how they sound when spoken aloud together, they sound good. "Hisamu Lea and Hisamu Ren." My old name doesn't fit too well with Ren.

It's nine o'clock now I wonder if my sister is up yet. I grab the cell phone that my parents gave me and dial the number that it says on the paper. I wait patiently for my sister to answer as the phone starts to ring. Someone picked up!

"Funbari Onsen, this is Yoh." The voice ,belonging to this boy named Yoh, says from the other end. Funbari Onsen? … Does my sister really live at a hot springs bath house? Oh well, I can ask about that later, first I have to make sure that this is the right number.

"Umm… yes hello Yoh. Does Tao Ren live there?"

"Ren? …Yeah, they're outside right now, do you want tell Ren to come in and talk to you?" This boy seems nice, caring too.

" Oh no that's alright, could you just give Ren a message for me?" I liked to say my sister's name, to hear it ring out through my speech and travel through the telephone wires to her home.

"Yeah …sure." Replied the boy.

"Please tell Ren to meet me tomorrow at three o'clock at the small café just inside of town about ten miles from where you guys live. My name is Lea and it has to do with the letter that he received, tell him that for me please and I think he'll understand." I said kindly hoping that the boy wouldn't leave out things, at least not too many things.

"Alright I'll tell him. Goodbye then." Said the boy. I quietly said goodbye before I hung up. As he hung up the phone I could hear him talking, he said Ren's name so I supposed that she came back inside. If she didn't come back inside then at least there was someone else that he told my message to, if two people knew the message I couldn't see how it could be easily forgotten, that was good.

3rd person POV-Ren( but told with Horo and Yoh mostly)

As Yoh hung up the phone after his strange conversation with a girl who was looking for his golden eyed friend he heard one of his comrades coming in from the brutal training that they were doing outside, it was the blue haired Ainu named HoroHoro.

"So Anna sent you inside to answer the phone and it turned out to be a pretty long conversation so you got a break for a while eh Yoh?" Said the boy as he opened the fridge.

"Yeah… She'll have me working until really late at night to make up for what I missed though. How about you Horo? Anna wouldn't have given you a break to get something to eat or drink so what's up?" Replied Yoh.

"Anna wanted me to get her something to drink, she said that with all the work she was doing out in the hot sun she needed something to cool her down. She's sitting in the shade you know, not doing anything." The Ainu commented with a bit of anger towards Anna. "So Yoh …who was on the phone?"

" It was some girl named Lea calling for Ren…about a letter. She wanted me to tell him to meet her at the café in town at three. She said he'd understand… I sure don't." Yoh was clearly confused.

"The letter?" A smirk-like smile formed on the boys face as he began to understand. "Oh I see now….Ren!" He shouted out Ren's name repeatedly as he bound out of the kitchen quickly giving Anna her drink on his way over to Ren.

"Kisama!" Ren yelled at Horo, he very much disliked to be disturbed while he was training. His words came out like a growl. "What do you want baka Ainu?"

"Ren…do you remember that letter of yours that I read?" He said with a smile, he was loving the fact that for once he knew something that Ren didn't, and that Ren would want to know, he wanted to make this joy last as long as he could.

"Yes." Ren growled at the memory. "Why would I forget it?"

"I don't know why you would… you wouldn't I guess." Horo commented just slightly confused, Horo obviously hadn't realized that Ren hadn't expected an answer to that question.

"Get on with it Horo… kisama." Ren said rushing his friend in a half mumble, half growl.

"Oh yeah…the letter… somebody called abut it, I think her name was Lea and she wanted to meet you… I think she was that twin of yours." The blue haired boy said watching the pure agony on Ren's face, it was funny really, how upset he got when the great Tao Ren couldn't get what he wanted when he wanted it.

"When does she want to meet me then HoroHoro?" Ren was trying to stay as calm as possible so that Horo would tell him the answers that he wanted but everyone who knew him knew that it was pretty much impossible. He tried to muffle it so Horo wouldn't hear but Tao Ren was grunting under his breath in annoyance.

"Oh…that…you'll find out soon enough." Horo said with a playfully sweet looking smile.

That was it, the agony and annoyance that Ren had been suffering through had turned to pure anger, he had snapped. In one swift movement Ren's weapon, his kwan dao, was at Horo's throat. It was a tight spot but with as often as this happened Horo was learning how to escape it. With two steps back and a turn Horo was out of Ren's hold, the only thing left for him to do was to take off in a run like the wind. Horo knew that he would be caught each time eventually, he was clumsy and slower than his purple haired friend, but he still tried… for the pleasure of the game. Ren found the hunt pleasurable and exciting as they played, Horo at first didn't, his life was on the line most times, but looking back at it once he was safe he fancied it. There weren't many people who watched that would say the game wasn't amusing and fun, it was obvious Ren felt the same as them but they wouldn't of guessed that Horo did too. Horo never let anyone know how he felt about this, he usually thought about it while he was alone in his room at night looking back on the day.

Horo's clumsiness got the best of him and he stumbled, slowing him down more, the approaching Ren took that moment to his advantage and tackled Horo to the ground. With his friend pinned and no way for him to escape he'd be sure to get the information he desired, Tao Ren never lost. Horo, having hit pretty hard on the ground and not quite yet recovered, closed his eyes and gave out a small moan of pain. Ren didn't care what pain he was in, he'd be fine… he always was after all. Ren grabbed at the collar of his friends shirt and began to shake him violently. Nobody knew how careful Ren really was with his friends though and they didn't know how much he cared about them. As he shook his friend HoroHoro he was precise and careful not to let Horo's head hit the ground too many times, he didn't want to cause any real damage that Horo couldn't recover easily from later on. If someone were to notice and approach him on this though he would have simply laughed and said that he didn't want to pay for the baka's medical bills or that he didn't need any more guilt on his tarnished conscience. He had it all planed out, he couldn't let people know that the tough rock-like boy Tao Ren was really a bit soft in the center.

"Ren!" Horo yelled with a lot of trouble as Ren shook him. "Stop!"

Realization swept over Ren as he saw that Horo would become too dizzy to tell him if he continued on like that. "Tell me Horo!" Ren yelled as he had captured his friend and wouldn't let him go until he got what he wanted.

Horo saw that he couldn't win… he couldn't do anything and Anna would kill the two of them if they spent the entire day bickering like that on the floor. "Fine Ren! Tomorrow at the café right in town… three o'clock."

Ren took just a short moment to process it, "Good." he said plainly before getting up and walking back out into the yard, setting Horo free.

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Carly-chan: Well now…that seemed to take forever for me to write…and I think it was a bit longer than the other chapters… if it was that will be my gift to you all for this update taking forever… blame my lazy summer-ness. If it wasn't longer…I'm super sorry. Yay I wrote a lot on Ren's end this time… more than usual at least… that should make you guys happy right? Oh…and that couple of scenes at the end with Horo and Ren… 'm sorry if they seemed to lean too much towards a Horo and Ren yaoi thing. I probably won't make this a HoroxRen story (I'm still debating though…and I'm taking your votes… ok so vote people!) …I try not to let my weirdo obsessions intrude on my stories tool much…yeah. I may write a HoroxRen fic sometime… but I'm just not too good at writing yaoi fics and I don't have any inspiration… lol so yeah. Also I started saving my fics to upload them in a new format so I'm sorry if it turns out a bit different than the other chapters… I don't think it will. Did you guys wonder if I was still alive while I was too lazy to write? …I'm sorry! But I'm totally not dead. Oh and SGCred I'll reply to your email as soon as I can but I may to be able to until next week, and in the email I will reply to your review for HDNR.


	5. Chapter 5: A Voice of the Past

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Carly-chan: Hello! I hope that I can get this next chapter out to you all fairly quickly, yeah like that ever actually happens. Yes…so here I am writing to avoid doing my summer reading project… and I think I only have about two weeks left to do it and I haven't even finished my first of 2 books…crap. Alright so next week I won't really be on the internet much but hopefully I'll still find time to write…if not then this chapter will take forever to finish and I'll be very sorry for that. So…welcome to chapter 5...wow chapter 5 already. Most of you seem to support it so this will become a fic with some hinting at HoroXRen Yaoi. I'll put a notice about it in this chapter and I'll edit the first chapter to put it in there so that people know about it. Yeah.

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Notice: This fan fiction from this point ( and from the end of the last chapter if you want to look at it that way) on has some hinting towards a HoroXRen pairing.

Ok so when I've been trying to upload this it's been messing up a little so I removed it and I'm trying to fix that now.

Reviews! Yayers! Ok… I've heard that replying to reviews isn't allowed anymore… and that I could get punished for it…but for now I'm going to do it anyways because I love you guys!

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SGCred: Ahhh …I see…happy belated (it's Sunday when I'm writing this.) birthday then! (although I don't know when I will actually get this posted so my 'happy birthday' may be like a month late. Lol Thank you. Yay! … I do hope I get Lea to the point where she meets Ren and finds out that he is a male fairly soon, it's so hard to try and write with Lea saying 'she' all the time even though I know that Ren is a boy. I'm also trying very hard to not have the other characters say 'he or him' while they speak to Lea (that mainly refers to Yoh in the last chapter) because although I could make her oblivious to the fact that they said 'he' I think that it's more likely that Lea would have a lot of attention to detail when it comes to her sister/brother because she wants to learn about her true life. Ahh yes…poor little Lea… hmmm…I haven't decided how I'm going to work their meeting through quite yet but I should because it's coming up rather fast.

Yeah…yay Ren and Horo-ness … I always thought that if I did make it have some HoroXRen yaoi I would have Lea know about it and at least try to get them to show each other that they care, but that might not work out too well because the way they seem to show they care is by physical abuse and she just might end up killing them…uhh…wow. Oh no, no, no it's alright I don't feel like you're dictating me…I actually wanted your approval for the yaoi most of all because if I lost you as a reader I just don't know what I would do. So yeah…it's cool. (yes…if they were to cause a fuss about it I would yell at them very much… yay for gay rights! Lol)

Ahhh…yes…poor little Lea being tainted by the evilness of spoken words. Oh yeah she will still end up with a sister…wow…cool! That will make Lea happy, and her older sister is pretty cool too.

Yes…I must learn to run really quickly away from Ren….umm… I wasn't very good of a runner to start with though, lol. I know… I hope next year I don't end up with too many immature nosey people in my class… I hope I end up in some good classes with my friends too. Yes…duct taping Choco's mouth would help him out quite a bit wouldn't it…(tries to find some duct tape) Yup… yay I have lots of funny scenes planned out for this (but I wrote a rather serious one a few nights ago) and I hope I can fit them all in. They made Jerry Springer an opera! …wow…I did not know that XD.

Ok! If I think of any words or phrases I'll ask… ooh cool! It'll be cool to have them say those words. …umm what would 'big brother' be?

Ok I'll send Moonlight Blossom soon… it gets really weird at points though… when I send it I'll explain some of the very strange points to you.

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DragonStorm85: Oh…ok! Thank you for pointing that out! I went back and read through it and I think I got all or at least most of the 'he' and 'him' parts changed, there was a part where Lea said the word 'she' to Yoh… do you think it's ok if I just let that pass as he probably didn't notice it? Thank you for saying my writing is good and I hope that you keep reading.

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devilicious-jo: Yay! Another vote for the Yaoi! Two votes is enough for me! It won't be completely a yaoi fic but it will hint at it quite obviously. Thanks!… hmm…I really should try and work that out the right way how I want them to meet… I have like bits and pieces of it down.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King… sadly… if I did though I can guarantee that I would have prevented it from being badly dubbed… yessss, however I don't own it and the dub still exists.

Chapter 5:A voice of the past

Lea POV

The rest of the day is passing by so slowly that I wonder if it will ever become tomorrow. I can't stand waiting inside the hotel and I can't fall asleep, I'm too anxious to see my sister tomorrow. Perhaps I'm not quite anxious, I'm not worried about it I'm just having trouble being patient enough. It's been quite a while since I learned of my sister's existence and this waiting is making it seem twice as long.

I have decided to go for a walk around the city to find my way to the café so that I don't get lost on my way there tomorrow. I wouldn't want to get lost and have my sister leave because she thinks that I won't come, that would be horrible. I think that tomorrow I'll be early to our meeting just to be sure that I'm not late. I slip my shoes on and head out, it seems like such a long way from my room, down the steps and through the hotel lobby to the door, everything in this place has a touch of elegance to it, I don't think I have ever been in a place so elegant. A voice, smooth and all too familiar yet I can't tell where I know it from, intrudes into my mind. "Little Lea Tao… it's been too long."

I freeze on my way down the hallway. "W-who are you?" I say, afraid a bit, my voice quivering. Although I can only feel fear right now there is some feeling deep down within me that is telling me it's alright, the voice is safe.

"Little Lea have you forgotten me so soon? …Oh I'm hurt, I can't believe the awful things they did to you… they took me from you but soon enough you'll know me again."

"Why are you here now then?" I question, I'm just a bit confused, if everything he is saying he says will happen eventually then what does he want with me right now?

"Oh little Lea, I just wanted to remind you of all the things you have forgotten; me, your true home, what I told you of your true family and so much more, four years worth of things that they simply tore from you like it was nothing. I've watched you since the time we parted Lea and I just want you to know that you're wrong, you've been to a place far more elegant than this many years ago." This man who seems to know so much about me and my life, he seems to know what's missing, who could he be?

"I don't understand… where have I been that was more elegant than this?" The confusion that I felt moments ago has multiplied a considerable amount.

"A place where you belong." Says the voice fading away.

"But where do I belong?" I scream but he has already left. A hotel cleaning lady who was working her way down this way is staring at me now, I suppose I didn't realize that unlike the voice, people could hear me. I blush and walk quickly by her to the stairs, not wanting to stand there waiting for the elevator with her staring at me. Quickly, out of frustration that I won't be able to work this out, I walk down the stairs and to the door. As the bright sun shined down upon me I am filled with happiness, I smile looking up into the sky expecting to see a happy blue sky with puffy white clouds above me. Instead I see a sky a shade too dark and clouds that are fake… clouds of pollution. I have been tricked by the untainted sun.

This saddens me, this Tokyo is robbed of the beauty of nature and the poor people hustle on by not even noticing how they are wronged. I stare out at them with tear glazed eyes as the rush by me, I pity them. The men and women of Tokyo, businessmen and businesswomen who are clueless to their ill fated city… they deserve much more than my pity. If only they could see what I saw when I escaped the city, the beauty that blessed my life once I escaped. Poor piteous humans of the city, the tears down my cheeks are in honor of them because I can do nothing else for them. Humans? I speak as if I am not a human like they are…I am a human aren't I?

Not needing to be any more confused than I am, I shake that question off and carry on my way. As I go on I spot a tourist shop and head into it, there I buy a map of the city. It's amazing how easily I can get to places if I actually know where I'm going, with the help of the map I'm almost to the café. It seems like a nice place and appears to be modeled after the fancy cafés they have in France. I order a cup of coffee and a small plate of cookies then take them to one of the outside tables. I sit here slowly eating and drinking quietly just trying to pass the time. As I sit I look out onto the busy streets of Tokyo wondering if these people who rush around so hectically ever stop and relax, just take a break. I do hope that they do sometimes, how sad life would be if all you did was work. I don't seem to have ever worked in my life though so I suppose I don't have much of a right to talk badly about their constant working, they may enjoy it. That though makes me smile but it's soon washed away and replaced by a look of shock.

"Oh but you worked hard when you were with me… such a small thing yet you did all you could." That voice was back again. I wondered if this person ever did anything but watch over me. Where was this person watching from anyway I questioned looking around flustered. I do suppose that he wouldn't have to be actually watching me to intrude upon my thoughts though.

"What is it that you want? Why do you say such things but never tell me more when I ask?" I whisper to him hoping that nobody hears.

"I don't tell because I'm trying to force your altered brain to remember these things, and that is also what I want… once you achieve that my wants will change." I could hear a smile in his voice.

"But… why won't you help me to remember then?" I question, all I want is to know the truth… I'm not even so much intent on making him leave me be as I am to know the truth.

"Tao Ren can help you much better than I can, I told you that from the beginning. Of course though you wouldn't remember me telling you that. Find Tao Ren and the answers and your memories should come flowing back to you." He was gone again after that.

If I find Tao Ren my memories will return? I do hope that is the truth. I'm a little afraid though… I wonder what my memories will be of, perhaps of horrible things that were taken from me so that they wouldn't haunt me forever. Then again maybe they are of wonderful things …or of my sister that had been kept hidden from me for so many years. When I meet my sister here tomorrow my memories should start to return, my anticipation has doubled now.

On my way back all I can think about is my sister, tomorrow, that man and my memories. The same things plague my mind for most of the night until it becomes too much for my body to handle and I fall into sleep. I wonder if my body can stand much more of this crazy life that I'm starting to lead. I haven't slept much at all since I arrived in Tokyo and perhaps once things settle down and the excitement drains that lack of sleep will take it's toll on my body. I can't possibly know when the excitement will go away though.

3rd person POV-Ren

"No Horo!" Ren exclaimed in response to the Ainu's question, clearly he was agitated. Since the phone call and the little squabble following it that they shared, that had been the seventh time Horo had asked. Only three hours had passed since then.

"Oh come on Ren! Why can't I come with you?" Horo said a bit like a child who was pleading to get his way. "Out of all of your friends I should be the one to go! You should really take your best friend with you."

"My best friend?" Ren shouted, surprised at the accusation of Horo being his best friend. "Horo you aren't my best friend, I don't have a best friend and if I had one it wouldn't be you! I can barely tolerate living in this house with you, what makes you think we would be best friends?" Ren's tone was fierce and hurtful, he got like this sometimes… a lot actually.

A look of hurt and sadness flashed in Horo's eyes as he heard the words, they cut like knives at his heart. The simple Horo couldn't understand why Ren had to be so mean all of the time, and why mostly to him. It was rather clear though, Ren wouldn't ever admit that he cared for anyone but his older sister and in an attempt to let his caring not be seen he was cruel and edgy. He wanted people to think that he hated them so that they wouldn't know that he cared for them. In truth though Horo would have been Ren's best friend, he was the friend he cared for most and that was why he was particularly cruel to him. Horo's caring was plain and obvious though, Ren however was just too wrapped up in himself and his façade of hatred to see it. Ren didn't see the hurt in his friend's eyes when he said these horrid things to him and he didn't know how deeply they cut him.

Horo's hurt expression changed back into one of determination rather quickly. "Fine Ren… if you say so, but I want to meet your sister. I read the letter and I told you when and where to meet her. I have more of a right than any of us to meet her so-"

Ren cut him off, "None of you has a right to meet her! She has nothing to do with any of you!"

Ren knew that it hurt his friends when he wouldn't let them know about his personal affairs, and it hurt Horo, who tried to be his friend, comfort him and be there for him, most. It seemed that Ren didn't want anybody to get close to him, that he didn't want to be loved. The truth, though, was that Ren didn't want anyone close to him in fear of hurting them. Yes, the great Tao Ren was afraid to hurt his friends, the whole thing is hard to believe but it's the truth. Ren knew that he was horrible, even though his friends told him otherwise, and that he had hurt so many people in the past. There was no way for him to repent and it seemed he would just go on selfishly hurting people to draw himself away from his own pain. If he were to inflict the pain and loss onto others, onto so many others… perhaps it could become normal. Then maybe he wouldn't have to be horrible, then maybe he could stop hurting and allow himself to be loved. The problem with that theory was that there was no set quota of when he will have hurt enough people for his pain to be accepted and embraced as normal. Without that quota the hurting would just go on for such a long time. It is a sad thing, a terribly sad thing.

"Ren… I don't care if you don't think it's my business at all, and I suppose it's not, but I'm going to come and meet your sister with you." Horo was really serious about this. It wasn't often that the carefree and fun loving HoroHoro became so serious but when he did he was just a bit scary and there wasn't much reasoning with him.

"Horo!" Ren called out, not quite angry but feeling as if the matter hadn't been resolved. Horo was already walking away though, back to his room, and hadn't listened to Ren.

From here it's just 3rd person and it switched sometimes between them.

The next day crept upon them slowly, but surely enough it did come. Ren had planned to wake up earlier than usual for his morning training, after which he would take a short bath and slip out for the rest of the day so that Horo wouldn't be able to tag along with him. He didn't know where he would go between his leaving the Onsen and three o'clock, but he could work that out later. So he did just as he had planned until just after his bath when he was going to get dressed and slip out. He thought he heard shuffling of feet so he peeked into Horo's room on his way to his own room, Horo was tucked under his blankets fast asleep. Little did Ren know that under his blankets Horo was fully dressed, ready to go and pretending to be asleep. As Ren went to change Horo was the one that slipped out, he went down the road a ways and waited for Ren there. If he was far enough away from the Onsen Ren couldn't force him to go back and he would just tag along, Ren would eventually become used to him being there and stop fighting it. The plan was perfect, Horo grinned with glee as he sat waiting, staring up at the dawn sky. "And everyone says that Ren is the smart one with the amazing tactics for every part of life, if only they knew… if only they knew."

Soon enough Horo was joined by his friend and although Ren protested, Horo wouldn't leave. As they walked on toward the city Ren gave up, just like Horo had planned, Horo felt himself to be brilliant in that moment but it soon just faded away. As they entered the city the two boys grunted in hatred for the smog and the tall steel buildings that threatened the sky like ferocious monsters. The two looked to each other blankly after their shared grunt, each boy knew of the other's reason for disliking the city but neither suspected their reaction to be the same when they entered the place. Neither spoke of it though, soon they let it just simply pass.

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Carly-chan: Because of the fact that I can't think of anything else to write and that this seemed to be an alright place to do it, I decided to end this chapter here. I'm sorry, I did intend to have them meet in this chapter but I didn't… I guarantee it for next chapter though and after they meet things should start moving quite faster. Yay for more implied (but not really said) RenXHoro-ness! Tee hee…can you tell I'm having fun with that? Actually even if I wasn't making it yaoi-ish I'm really having fun exploring their friendship in different, deeper ways. I like to make my own interpretations of how the two of them feel, the feelings that they never say. I'm not sure if I uploaded them yet but I did fix a few things on the chapters (did I say that already?) that were kind of small things. I'm not sure if I talked about it but I probably won't be writing again for the rest of my summer break (I go back to school on the 23rd) and then depending on if they pile the work on us or not a little after school starts… so uhh…sorry and I'll miss you. I'm also trying to see if I can go back to the format of posting these that I had before because I don't really like the one I'm using now too much


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